HarvestPlus congratulates Ismael Cakmak, one of our major collaborators, on yet another award from the scientific community. Cakmak, who heads the HarvestPlus-affiliated HarvestZinc project, has won the 2016 Science Award of the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI).

“Dr. Cakmak has made major contributions to scientific knowledge through his leadership role in alleviating the micronutrient malnutrition problem in developing countries,” notes IPNI President Terry Roberts. “This has led to international recognition for his efforts in zinc biofortification of cereal crops.”

Through HarvestZinc, Cakmak is exploring how to improve the concentrations of zinc and iodine in wheat and rice through fertilizers. His work focuses on nine target countries, including Brazil, China, India, Thailand, Pakistan, and South Africa.

The IPNI Science Award is the latest in a raft of scientific awards for Cakmak. Those awards include the 2016 World Academy of Sciences Prize, the 2014 Georg Forster Research Award of the Humboldt Foundation, and the IFA-International 2005 Crop Nutrition Award.

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HarvestPlus improves nutrition and public health by developing and promoting biofortified food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals, and providing global leadership on biofortification evidence and technology.